Adil Najam
This graphic video of the brutal murder of 19 year of Sarfraz Shah being confronted and shot dead by Rangers – supposedly because he was a robber refusing to surrender – is only the latest in a string of state and societal resort to violence that makes one wonder if we have gone totally mad: Lynchings in Sialkot, disappearances and killings in Balochistan, shaming of protesters in Rawalpindi, vigilante justice in Karachi, shootings over load-shedding in Multan, bombings of shrines in Lahore, slaying of a woman Minister in Gujranwala, slaughter of a Christian Minister in Islamabad, and a culture of anger and a validation of violence everywhere, including and most horrendously by those who are supposed to be the custodians of our safety and security.
We are including the graphic video of the brutal murder of Sarfraz Shah, but after the ‘fold’. Reader discretion is required. But if you can bear to watch it, then do so. Because it is well past time that we stop ignoring the rot that threatens our every pore.
What can one do except hold ones head in shame and sadness, and ask oneself: Have we gone totally mad?
Despite the anger and angst that swells within each vein, I would like to believe that we have not. I still believe in Pakistan and Pakistanis. Maybe I do so because I have no option but to believe so. But more than that I do so because I know that even though the insanity is all around me, there is even more disgust and dismay at this insanity. But it is no longer enough to show disgust and dismay. We must speak up – as so many actually are. And that is because I believe that we still have it within ourselves to rise against and reject this violence. If we do not, then who will?
@Mazhar Fakhar: “I have only been saying that the boy was at fault as well for touching the guns and charging at the soldiers.”
–Look, what I saw in the video is this: a young man is brought to some soldiers, he is first facing the police van. A man comes with an automatic rifle and shoves it in his face. The young man bows forward and pleads with the ranger. At some point he touches the gun and points it away from his head. All this time, the others don’t even bother to immobilize him. One guy shouts “shoot him, shoot him”, instead of arresting him. Before he gets shot he actually takes a few steps away from the soldier, still bowing forward, still pleading for his life. Yet, in spite of this, the soldier still shoots him, twice.
What I saw was a very terrified and very light weight young man surrounded by 5 armed trained soldiers. It wasn’t the threat, it wasn’t the lack of training (you yourself point out their craftsmanship in shooting in the arm), it was simply that they didn’t give a damn about his life (which is plain obvious from the fact that they left him to bleed afterwards). And that’s NOT the young man’s fault. It is only fitting for their character that later they tried to say he died in a shootout. They themselves knew they were guilty.
@Meengla: “Again, try to understand the context.
A sort of related example can be given of Rodney King beating by the LA Police in early 90s.”
–Well, hopefully this is your Rodney King moment. Hopefully all the men involved will be punished for what they did and other ranters/cops will be trained on how to avoid this. Hopefully this will never happen again. So far I’ve read several news pieces, including on this blog, which suggest that perpetrators or extra-judicial killings are hardly ever brought to justice. Maybe this incident will change things. Do you think it will?
I feel disgust for those who are falsely claiming that Sarfraz Shah (the victim) “charged at the soldiers” and was hostile. I cannot see anything like that on the video, what I see is a scared man pleading for his life, who then is shot and bleeds to death for 45 minutes.
The fact that you have fools trying to find some way to blame the victim, and tying it in some bizarre fashion with LA/Rodney King, shows the psychological sickness in Pakistani society.
I hope the Rangers who murdered this poor citizen of Pakistan are convicted and hanged.
lol
@mazhar
I have been reading all your comments. You are trying to ride on both boats with your ifs and buts.
Yes, I am sitting in my home like you are and yes you dont know anything about me as I don’t.
All we have is these views that we are sharing. I strongly believe that peopel like you and mengla who are aplogizing for this act and are giving examples of USA are wrong. Noone desrves this treatment and this is why as claimed by mengla those people are behind the bars.
I differ with your view point and I have every reason to wonder that if even in a case when our life is not stake and we have nothing to lose, we cant call what is wrong is wrong without championing the “other side” argument…..then what can be expected of us when our own interests are at stake.
there is always another side of the story and that other side does not need to be upheld….there is other side of rape, there is other side of murder, there is other side genocide, but those sides are wrong and sick.
this debate would have ended if you were not lecturing others on your “depths” of street life knowledge in Karachi and your sole entitlement to have an opinion on the matter.
@Petrini
I never said that the murder was right nor have I been trying to justify it. I have only been saying that the boy was at fault as well for touching the guns and charging at the soldiers. He could probably have saved his life if he had complied and surrendered instead of acting in a hostile manner. As they say in my country, it takes two hands to make a clap, or as they say in yours, it takes two to tango.
@ben
Please don’t lecture me about what I said about history; you are taking what I have said out of context. I was only replying to Petrini’s comment. Please read the previous posts before making your point. And as for me painting a pathetic picture. Tell me honestly: what are you doing to side against brutality and injustice other than sitting in your home, tapping away on your plastic keyboard? If you really want to side against it, why don’t you come out in the street and meet them face to face.
A lot of us are saying that there is another side of the debate which is being ignored by even most Pakistanis in their rush to bash all institutions of Pakistan.
The current state of the security agencies inside Pakistan is that of their being the prime targets of suicide bombers who often send young boys and even women to kill security personnel. Security forces of Pakistan are also human being and are bound to snap sometimes after years for extremely high stress and danger. Whether in this particular case their action was justified or not will be decided by the judiciary. And indeed all six Rangers personnel are held under Police Remand and are being charged under Anti-Terrorism Courts of Pakistan; they are not going on unscathed.
Again, try to understand the context.
A sort of related example can be given of Rodney King beating by the LA Police in early 90s. Without a single suicide or terrorist attacks against them the LA Police saw it fit to beat the crap out of R. King started to resist. I think King was unarmed and was beaten by several people. And millions of Americans thought it was a deserved punishment.